Today, I am thrilled to introduce you to Michael Evans. He is the author of the Control Freakz series. I first met him at a book signing at My Sister’s Books, a couple of years ago. He is an incredibly gifted young author. Today, he is giving away one free paperback copy of Control Freakz. See details below to enter. Good luck to all.

Enjoy!

~Ariesgrl

Hi Michael! Thanks for joining us today. Can you tell the followers a little bit about yourself?

Thank you for having me, and of course. Hmm where to begin… well, I’ll start off by
saying that I’m the author of the YA Post-Apocalyptic Thriller Control Freakz Series that
consists currently of three books and four novellas and author of the forthcoming
Conspiracy Chronicles releasing in the fall of 2019. I am currently in high school and am
graduating a year early to take a gap year and pursue my dream of being a full-time
author. However, besides writing I love peanut butter and fluff, walks on the beach
(especially with the stars at night!), and playing fetch with my crazy golden doodle Skye.

What inspired you to become an author?

I would say that more so than an author, at my heart I am a storyteller. And in all
honesty, nothing inspired me to become a storyteller. Recounting my experiences and
conjuring up ideas and dreams and weaving them into stories is just something that has
always come naturally to me, it is how I deal with everything in life and help others deal
with both the good and bad in their lives too. The specific stories I tell do have many
inspirations and most come from the future, or my desire, wish and hope that the
power of story can impact the world to be headed into an amazing future. With my
novels I try to paint a picture of darker futures in hopes that it compels society to
prevent that future from taking place, but principally I hope readers of my stories can
find things about the characters in the book that allow them to love themselves more
and live happier lives.

Which authors do you love to read in your spare time?

I love Stephen King, and one day would love to read each one of his books. In my eyes,
he is the greatest storyteller of the generation and his characters are always so
fascinating and feel so real. However, I really enjoy reading Veronica Roth, Alexandra
Bracken, Eyre Price, Cesar Torres, Mark Dawson, and countless more authors that I can
go on listing for a loooong time here.

Do you have any other books in the works?

Yes, I do! I’m currently working on the Conspiracy Chronicles, a new Technothriller
Dystopian mash-up series that explores the future impact of climate change on
resources in the world, and with heightened global tensions surrounding access to food
and water one company claims to have a solution that would eliminate material wealth
entirely. However, this radical solution involves the migration of hundreds of millions to
virtual worlds, and with Sam, a virtual reality gamer superstar of the game Deadwave,
being tasked to lead this cause, a wild journey ensues with Sam having to deal with a
forbidden love, his desire to win the Deadwave world championships, death threats
from competitors, and ultimately the impossibly high expectations of the only man he
loves in the world- his father. The first three books in the Conspiracy Chronicle series are
slated to be released in the fall of 2019, and the fourth book in the Control Freakz Series
will hopefully be coming out in the spring of 2020.

Is there a character in your books that shares some of your attributes?

For sure, I think every story that an author tells is in a way a reflection of them. For me,
Natalie shares my same fears about the future, and desire to get her past back, while
Hunter has more of the even temperament that I do. Ethan has the often methodical
mind that I do, however, the depression and anxiety Natalie deals with are less my
personal struggles and more those of teenagers as a collective. However, many of
Natalie’s thoughts, feelings/opinions on life are in fact my own and the struggles of her
loving herself and learning to love life are struggles I along with almost everyone have
experienced too.

How do you name your characters?

It varies. For main characters I will sometimes pick a name with a symbol, but more
times than not I will name characters with names that seem to have a good flow and
work well with my idea of who the character is. All my characters are like real people to
me, and as a result, when naming them I let their name come to me in an effortless
fashion so that my conversations with them in my head are more natural and feel real.

Where can readers find out more information about your books? (Social media, physical stores,
etc.)

Well, readers in Pawleys Island can always by signed copies of my books at My Sister’s
Books :). However, for anyone who likes to read ebooks online my books can be found
on Amazon in Kindle Unlimited HERE and my website, where readers get all the novellas
in the Memories From The Darkness Collection if they sign up for my newsletter is HERE.
On social media, I can be found at @mevansinked on Instagram and Twitter.

Twins, T. J. and Brad, have settled their differences and are thriving on their high school hockey team. Discussing their futures with scouts and supporting their younger brothers, it is clear the McKendricks eat, sleep, and breathe hockey. However, when family tensions arise and the pressures of school get to them, will they keep their head’s on straight? Or will bad choices ruin their dreams?

Stacy Juba wrote the first book as a teenager and she takes readers on a trip down memory lane, with this latest installment. Readers should read the first book, in order to better understand the family dynamics. Hockey fans will love the fact that this book starts in the middle of a game, while those serious about a potential career in hockey will appreciate the insights. This is a very short read that covers tough topics about what teens face and the effects of parents splitting up. The brotherly relationships are the shining aspects of this tale.

I read the first book in the series, several years ago and I loved it. (Here’s my review.) I love hockey and I was thrilled to discover a middle grade book. With this sequel, I learned a lot about Junior league and the steps required to catch the eyes of colleges and the NHL. I hope the author continues to develop the series, as I am sure fans are going to crave more McKendrick hockey.

I absolutely love series! They draw you into their setting, you get updates on characters you fell in love with, and you can normally keep hope for another installment. There are series that can be read quickly… like my old Nancy Drew and Harry Potter books, as well as The Summer Girls series by Mary Alice Monroe and the Peachtree Bluff series by Kristy Woodson Harvey. Then there are series that you take your time with… when the books are over 800 pages or there are over a dozen or so.

Last month, I finished the Brad Taylor series, including all novellas, that I started the year before. (Well, finished all but the most latest one.) I enjoyed this series because I could binge read four, then wait a few months and pick them up again. I am looking for a 2019 series to read. Something lengthy, that will last me throughout the whole year. Books that I can pick up in between all the other stories that I will be reading.

Some that have been suggested through the years: Game of Thrones, Outlander, Penn Cage, and the entire Rick Riordan sets of Demigods books. Please vote in the comments for which series you think I should completely conquer this year. It can be one of these listed above, or please feel free to suggest another. And if you think this is a fun idea, please feel free to read along with me and we’ll add updates as the year continues.

As you may have guessed, when we moved, I got teased quite a bit by the number of boxes (and bags) of books. My goal this week is to unpack every single one of them and get them all organized. (Not knowing the exact location of my books has been, well… interesting to say the least.) However, I still do enjoy adding to my stacks and lists.

On Friday, I received these in the mail, but I held off opening them until today. (Under the blanket are my boys.) We are all snuggled up and ready to dive into a day of reading.

Yesterday, while at the event at My Sister’s Books, I talked to authors and readers, and definitely added a few more titles to my future reading lists.

What about you? Do you have stacks upon stacks of unread books and still add more? Or do you buy and read only one at a time? How long is your wish list?

I hope you all have had a wonderful Thanksgiving. This year my family did something new and it was quite nice. I am grateful each and everyday for my family and my love of books. Today, as I work, I am listening to my first audiobook from an app called Libro. If you have followed my website, you know that I prefer physical books when reading. Ebooks provide a nice convenience, especially when reading late, late, late at night. However, I have never gotten the hang of audiobooks. I have tried a few over the years, but it is not my cup of tea. However, I feel like hours on the computer and hours in the car are times that could be spent on reading. So in the spirit of the new home and new vibes, I am going to work hard to add audiobooks into my daily routine. Libro is wonderful, because it allows me to support my favorite independent bookstore, whereas that more popular app, Audible, only increases Amazon’s giant profits. So if you like to support your community, I do recommend using Libro.fm Their website is very, user-friendly.

Over the course of the next two months, there will be several giveaways. Today, we are going to kick off the giveaway season, with a winner takes all type of giveaway. Thanks to Kensington Publishing, below is a list of ARCs (advanced reading copies.) One lucky commenter will win all of these books!

It takes a Coven by Carol J. Perry

Stowed Away by Barbara Ross

Staged 4 Murder by J. C. Eaton

Death Over Easy by Maddie Day

Death by Espresso by Alex Erickson

Death of a Cookbook Author by Lee Hollis

Last Call by Allyson K. Abbott

Murder on Memory Lake by J. D. Griffo

Final Roasting Place by Devon Delaney

How to enter: Leave a comment below, telling me your favorite mystery author. Contest is open until Tuesday, November 13th at 7pm EST. Winner will be chosen randomly and will be announced Wednesday morning. Good luck to all!

Today, I am thrilled to announce that I am writing this first November post, from my new home. Not quite my office, yet, as that is still currently filled with boxes. However the view of the porch and Ozzy resting peacefully in my lap, is an ideal workspace. The last few weeks have been completely chaotic, but it has been completely worth it!

So here’s a quick recap of the reading end of my world:

The Great American Read: What an incredible finale! I think all awards show should be like this… books, readers, and authors. I was thrilled To Kill a Mockingbird won, however, I was surprised to hear it debuted at number one and never wavered. I have read that book so many times, I have lost count. Mom and I were thrilled to see several modern, teen books make it to the top 50. It means the next generation is excited to read!!! The top 5 books covered a range of genres and thankfully I had read 3 out of 5. (Yes, I still need to read the Outlander and Lord of the Rings series.)

As for my current reads, well sadly, I haven’t read too much lately, due to exhaustion from the move. I have been slowly working my way through the ebook version of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, because it has been a long time since I have read the entire series and this year did mark the 20th anniversary of the first book’s publication in the United States. Tonight, the boys and I will be curling up with a Christmas mystery, Murder in her Stocking.

Hello World!

My name is Nicole. I am an Aries, and an avid reader. I have always loved to read. Thanks to my Mom and my Grandmother, I was never in short supply of books. I would read whatever I could get my hands on. I have devised this blog to start sharing my thoughts and reviews on the amazing books in this vastly expanding world of literature. Here readers should be able to find some books they may know and new books to discover from each genre. Each category will be dedicated to a certain genre, so you will be able to click quickly to your favorites. My goal is to become a full-time book reviewer, and be able to discuss books with fellow readers, so feel free to leave comments and suggestions. But most importantly, please enjoy the world of books!